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England Adds Charlie Atkinson to Training Squad

By Drooid · Oct 27, 2026, 23:11 UTC · How we work

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Summary

England added Gloucester fly-half Charlie Atkinson to the training squad, replacing injured Fin Smith.
Fin Smith will stay at the camp for calf-injury rehabilitation after the Saturday Leicester match.
Coach Steve Borthwick will pick the final squad by Wednesday, noting George Ford and Marcus Smith if Smith stays unavailable.
The three-day camp at Pennyhill Park runs until Tuesday 27 October before the Nations Championship and the 8 Nov Australia test.

History

Since rugby turned professional in 1995, England’s Rugby Football Union has negotiated club-versus-country deals, notably the 2001 England Rugby agreement that underpinned the 2003 World Cup win. That tournament saw a 30-man squad announced on 7 September 2003 and a mid-event replacement when Danny Grewcock was swapped for Simon Shaw. The precedent of injury-driven changes informs today’s flexible selection approach.

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Historical Context

Since rugby turned professional in 1995, England’s Rugby Football Union has negotiated club-versus-country deals, notably the 2001 England Rugby agreement that underpinned the 2003 World Cup win. That tournament saw a 30-man squad announced on 7 September 2003 and a mid-event replacement when Danny Grewcock was swapped for Simon Shaw. The precedent of injury-driven changes informs today’s flexible selection approach.

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